More photo gallery from this Penang Turf website >>>

Campbell Street is one of the city's busiest shopping precincts. The shops here sell handbags, shoes, clothes and electrical products. Some interesting shops along the street are Chinese medicine halls and teahouses. Campbell Street also has its share of restaurants and dim sum shops. Among the noted are Thor Yuen, a popular chicken rice shop, and Indian Muslim restaurants like Hameediyah.

Before it became a shopping haven, Campbell Street dealt in a less kosher "business". When it was built in the mid-19th century, this street between Pitt Street and Penang Road was dotted with brothels. Its Chinese moniker Sin Kay which meant "new street" could also be humorously construed as "new prostitutes" in reference to the "fresh" supply of prostitutes from China that were supplied regularly to the brothels. Fortunately, its heyday as a red light district came to an end after the war.

More recently, the state government has "revitalized" this heritage zone, transforming it into a "pedestrian mall". However, vehicles are still allowed to go though the street, so be wary when crossing the road! What the authorities have actually done is to enlarge the pavements so that pedestrians and shoppers have more space to walk on. Lanterns are hung above all along the street and come alight in the evening. Cultural performances are held on special occasions like Chinese New Year and the annual nationwide shopping carnival.

Despite the "aesthetic" changes to the road and sidewalks, most of the buildings retain their original structure. The best example would be the Campbell Street Wet Market. Built around 1900, this municipal market is located partly on the former Kapitan Kling Mosque burial ground. The corner market building, with its ornate cast iron columns and brackets, are reminiscent of late Victorian markets. In the morning, market activities spill out onto the northern section of Carnarvon Street, which is closed to traffic during peak hours.